The new year will be here before we know it, so naturally, we are feeling the itch to set resolutions. Starting off fresh provides a great opportunity to let go of everything from the previous year and focus on what’s to come in 2023. And, while we love a new year’s resolution, this year we want to stretch our creative muscles and manifest our desires through a vision board. Up ahead, learn how to create a vision board for manifesting your 2023 intentions.
The 411 on Manifestation
With the increasing interest in crystals and tarot decks, the word “manifestation” gets thrown around a lot these days — but what does it actually mean? “Manifestation is the physical byproduct of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, which create your vibration,” says Angela Marie Christian, a manifestation, vision board expert, and author of Manifestation Mastery: How to Heal, Transform, and Level-Up With Your Built-In Superpowers. “By understanding that you are an energetic being in an energetic universe, you can start releasing what’s holding you back from your dreams while also calling in what you actually desire by matching your vibration to that of which you want,” she adds. However, manifestation isn’t as simple or transactional as a wish being made and coming true.
Meet the Experts
Angela Marie Christian is a manifestation, vision board expert, and author of "Manifestation Mastery: How to Heal, Transform, and Level-Up With Your Built-In Superpowers."
Colette Baron-Reid is a professional intuitive strategist, personal transformation thought leader, best-selling author, and metaphysical educator.
Charlotte Kirsten is a manifestation expert and astrological practitioner with an M.A. in Cultural Astrology and Metaphysical Sciences.
According to Colette Baron-Reid, a professional intuitive strategist and metaphysical educator, people often make the mistake of looking at manifestation as a transactional situation with a focus on the materialistic. “The popular message we’ve heard is that if we want something enough and focus all of our thoughts and attention on it, the universe will deliver it,” she notes. “What’s often overlooked is that the universe isn’t really transactional and we’re not really separate from it — we grow and evolve within it,” she adds. Because of this, manifestation is more like an experiential partnership and a reflection of our beliefs, expectations, and consistent action toward whatever it is we are calling in.
The key component of manifestation is “consistent action,” as it’s less of a hope we send out to the universe and more of an intention we set and align ourselves with to achieve whatever it is we are calling in.
Vision Boards for Manifestation
A vision board is a helpful tool in manifestation because it provides an opportunity to set our intentions and visually see what we wish to call into our lives in the new year. It’s not just a fun art project that you create during your holiday break and forget about, it’s an opportunity to think about what you want to accomplish, experience, or call into your life in the next year and create a visual foundation that you use as a reminder of what you’re working toward throughout the year.
“Every time you look at your vision board clustered with images of your goals, you conjure up mental images and feelings of what it would be like to live in that exact moment,” says Charlotte Kirsten, a manifestation expert and astrological practitioner with an M.A. in Cultural Astrology and Metaphysical Sciences. She explains that, by focusing on the feeling, you “embody the exact energy and frequency it would take to align you to attract that goal.”
If the key component for manifesting is consistent action, the key component for vision boards is intention. “When you make a vision board with intention, your subconscious mind goes to work for you as does the universe,” says Baron-Reid. “You are easily able to align with your vision for the future and automatically begin looking for opportunities, decisions, and pathways to take you toward your dreams,” she adds.
Creating a Vision Board
Vision boards are relatively easy to create and don’t require a ton of creative talent. They are essentially adult collages and can be super fun to put together, especially once you get in the flow of cutting out pictures and words and pasting them to a board. When creating a vision board — especially one for manifesting for the New Year — it’s important that your board has a theme and focus. “If you try to fit in every single thing you’ve ever wanted, chances are you’ll get overwhelmed and won’t be clear in your intentions,” says Baron-Reid. “Finding your focus means narrowing down what you most want to send your attention and energy to right now,” she adds.
To create a vision board, you’ll first need to establish the size and base. You can make your vision board whatever size you want. Some people prefer larger poster board while others might simply use a piece of 8×10 printer paper. Once you have your base established, pull out old issues, it’s time to collect things to paste onto your board. Traditionally, this is done by cutting out pictures, words, and letters (to create your own words) from magazines. However, if you don’t have any magazine issues to spare, you can also go on Pinterest and search for things that represent your intentions and print them out.
Once you have a good collection of words, phrases (created from single letters from a magazine or printed from Pinterest), and pictures that showcase all the things you want to call in during the new year, it’s time to get going. Start by placing all of the components where you want them to be, in a collage-like manner. When you are happy with the placement, use either rubber cement or a glue stick to paste each thing in place. If you want to jazz up your board, you can also glue gemstones, or use glitter glue or puff paint to outline certain areas.
Manifestation Rituals for the New Year
With your vision board complete, you can use it as a simple daily reminder as you admire and acknowledge your desires for the new year. But, if you want to take it a step further, experts suggest using it in a more ritualistic way.
Energy-Matching
For this ritual, Christian says you’ll begin your day by looking at your vision board and tap into the feeling of your intention happening or having already happened. “This isn’t to trick ourselves,” she explains. “It’s a must that you embody the energy of what you want in order for it to show up for you,” she adds. Once you get into the “it’s happening” or “it’s already happened” mindset, she says to sit in that energy for at least five minutes per day.
Consistent Action
“Take a small step toward your desire each day,” says Christian. She recommends spending 15 minutes each day to either do something that gets you closer to your goal or simply envision yourself doing something to get you closer. “The idea is that you want your mind, body, and spirit to light up when you get in front of your vision board,” she explains. “If you’re taking small steps each day, it’ll enhance your excitement and raise your vibration as well.” she adds.
Altar Creation
Christian also recommends setting up an altar under wherever your vision board is as a bonus step for anyone who feels aligned to call in spiritual guidance. “I place my vision boards near or above my altar, which simply holds candles, crystals, and other items that I feel are high-vibrational,” she explains. “If you can, get into the practice of lighting your candle, taking some deep breaths, and aligning yourself with the visions of your desire actualizing — this can become a very powerful practice of creation,” she adds.
No matter what you want to call into the new year, a vision board can help you plant the seeds you’ll nurture in the new year as you take action toward your goals and manifest your desires.
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